Janie's Got a Gun
by ladyharlem
Summary: Jane and Maura explore their feelings. Can Maura convince Jane they're perfect for each other? Slow burn fluffy Rizzles. Rated T for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Jane sat at the breakfast bar in Maura's kitchen, hunched over the morning newspaper, her focus honed on on the sport news. She barely registered the sounds of Maura opening her morning mail.

"What do you think?" she asked.

Jane didn't hear her, the concentration furrowed across her brow.

"Jane!" Maura said again, louder than before. Jane's head snapped up,

"Wha.." she began, before she saw what the blonde was holding and her words dried up in her mouth.

The corset Maura held up glittered with tiny black beads and sequins, delicate patterns embellished over the top of each bust and down the bodice. Pale silver silk made up the majority of the garment and the light from the kitchen window rippled across the fabric. It was almost as beautiful as Maura, Jane thought.

"What do you think?" Maura repeated, giving the corset a small shake in her hands, setting the sparkles off again. Jane tried to shake the image of Maura wearing it from her mind, blinking hard.

"Well... I... Uh... What's that for?" she asked. Words got lost between her brain and her mouth.

"Hmm nothing special, I just saw it and couldn't pass up the opportunity. Isn't the beading exquisite? I'm sure I'll find an occasion to wear it soon" Maura replied, gently touching the beads with her fingertips. Jane swallowed hard at the innocent action. She worked so hard to ignore the way she felt for Maura but when the ME showed her things like this, the fire inside gnawed at Jane wickedly.

"It's beautiful, Maur. I mean, it's ridiculous, but it's beautiful."

"Thank you... I think." Maura gave Jane a wry smile, peering through her hair in a way that made the knot in the detective's chest tighten. She simultaneously hoped she would never see Maura wear the corset and wished she could see her try it on right then and there. Instead, Maura laid it back in the pink tissue wrappings she had taken it from and closed the box gently.

"Are you ready to leave now, Cher?" Jane teased, desperately trying to relax herself and calm her heart rate. Maura giggled in her typically infectious way and swatted at Jane's upper arm before turning on her heel and sashaying toward the table by the door to collect her keys.

"Get in the car, Jane."

The clock on the wall of BPD's homicide unit always ran to time, but Jane had been watching it so closely she felt as though it was ticking backward. Their case had no new leads and a suspect that they couldn't hold past 11.30am. Frankie and Korsak had been interviewing all night, bouncing off each other trying desperately to get the truth of what had happened to the young woman down in the morgue.

The victim was 23 year old Alice Wilson, seemingly stabbed in a mugging 2 days earlier. Jane knew in her gut that there was no mugging. Alice had been walking from her neighbour's house back around to her own with no bags, just her house keys and a cup of borrowed milk. Her instincts told her this was personal, as did the stab wounds to the front of Alice's body. Jane couldn't take it any longer, she had to move. Pushing her chair backward with her feet, she stood and headed to the elevators. Perhaps Maura or Suzie could give her some test result jargon to coax more information from their suspect, she mused.

Maura knew Jane was approaching the lab by the sound of her block heeled boots on the linoleum. The ME stood to greet her colleague, her best friend, as the door flew open and the detective barreled in with a determined look on her face.

"Please tell me you've got something, Maura." Jane pleaded as she leant onto her elbows on the lab desk in front of Maura. The blonde accidentally caught a glance at Jane's cleavage, pushed up by her upper arms as she rested her chin on her fists. Her figure usually so well hidden under her work t-shirts or suit jackets. Maura made a mental note of the feeling in the pit of her stomach. A feeling she had experienced many times before.

"The stab wounds to the chest indicate that our victim knew her attacker, and there are only minor defensive wounds on her forearms. The wound pattern is concentrated around her heart inducting that it was personal and frenzied but the attack came from the front. She was comfortable enough to let her attacker approach her from the front before she was stabbed." Maura explained.

"But the boyfriend is in pieces up there with Franki and Korsak. Maybe he's a good liar. Maybe we need a motive" Jane mused aloud. Her frustration was palpable.

"I don't have all of the results back yet, Jane, we may still find some evidence." Maura reassured her. She reached over and squeezed Jane's shoulder, knowing that the detective was running around in circles inside her own mind. "Give me half an hour and I'll chase them again for you."

Jane smiled weakly before standing up slowly and making her way to the door,

"Thanks Maur."

Jane sat back at her desk opposite Frankie who had his head rested on one hand, tapping his pen with the other as he concentrated. His brow was furrowed and he read over his notes for the umpteenth time.

"How'd it go?" Jane asked.

"Terrible. We got nothing and we had to let him go." Came Frankie's reply, his voice thick with annoyance and tiredness. He looked over at Jane, meeting her gaze with drooping eyes. "You look tired, Jane, go home and get some rest."

"Nah, Maura's gonna have more results for us soon, I wanna be here when she gets them back." she sighed.

On queue, the elevator doors slid open to reveal a flustered Dr Isles who bowled into the room, straight for Jane's desk.

"I've got him! You've got him!" she exclaimed, waving a brown file at Jane.

Jane jumped to her feet and snatched the file from Maura's hand, almost ripping it open. The ME placed a hand on the detective's arm and moved behind her to read over her shoulder. She pointed to the results, reading aloud.

"We found a tiny amount of sweat on the handle of the knife, it must have dropped from his forehead. We've got him Jane." she stated in a calm, confident voice. Jane turned and beamed at the blonde.

"Maura! I could kiss you! " she yelled, beaming at the ME.

"Will you stay a while, Jane?" asked Maura as she pulled onto her drive and turned off the engine.

Jane smiled back at Maura showing off her dimples. She sighed and nodded silently, ignoring the tension in her temples and neck. Maura cocked her head and reached over to pat Jane's knee.

"Come on, I have a beer in the refrigerator for you." she told the detective with a squeeze to her knee.

The pair of tired colleagues slouched on to Maura's expensive couch and made a nest of cushions and blankets. Jane propped her feet on the coffee table and tossed her belt over to the unoccupied armchair. Maura sat close with her legs tucked up under the large fluffy blanket. The Attenborough documentary on the television only held 80% of Maura's attention and she was aware of Jane's small movements. The detective placed her beer bottle down, reached up to her shoulder and began to massage her own trapezius muscle. She winced as she worked a knot from her own shoulder.

"I can get it for you, if you'd rather?" Maura offered, trying her best to sound blasé and offhand. She did know how to manipulate the muscles effectively to relieve the tension, after all she was a doctor, but the knot in the pit of her own stomach gnawed at her as she thought of massaging Jane's sculpted, strong shoulders and her soft olive skin.

Jane's brows knitted together at the suggestion. Was a shoulder rub from her best friend weird? Maybe, but her shoulders were so tight and Maura was a doctor...

"Yeah, you know, that would actually be great this time, Maur. I've been hunched over my desk too much."

Maura beamed and swung her legs from under the blanket onto the floor.

"I don't have massage oil, but I can use some cocoa butter for you." she informed Jane matter of factly. Jane smiled at the thoughtfulness of the suggestion and nodded in agreement.

Before Maura stood up and disappeared upstairs to retrieve a tub of cocoa butter.

As she made her way back downstairs she saw Jane cross legged on the floor wearing her tank top, her t-shirt crumpled on the coffee table, hair tied back, massaging her temples. The case had really taken its toll on her physically and mentally. Maura settled back onto the couch behind Jane with each leg either side of the detective's shoulders. She palmed cocoa butter between her hands to warm it before setting to work on Jane's tense shoulders. Immediately she found a large knot in the muscle and began to work it with her thumbs, eliciting a deep moan from Jane, who rolled her head back at the feeling of relief.

"Jesus, Maura that's good. It hurts, but it's so good." Jane moaned.

Maura didn't reply, she couldn't. The sound of Jane moaning her name with pleasure had made her stomach do a somersault and her mouth go dry.

_I'd love to hear her sound like that in my bed_… the thought sprang into Maura's mind before she could stop it and she was glad Jane couldn't see the blush rise from her chest and creep up her cheeks. She continued to work Jane's incredibly tense shoulders, kneading the cocoa butter into her skin and enjoying the contact with her toned body. Jane let out more small moans and grunts of appreciation as Maura loosened her neck and shoulders. The blonde began to move her hands up and down Jane's right bicep before working on the very top of her shoulder, sending shivers down her spine. Shivers that Maura felt on the skin inside her knees that touched Jane's upper arms from behind. The ME wasn't sure what was happening, if anything, but God she was enjoying it.

Eventually, Maura sat back against the cushions and Jane leant back into her, letting her head fall to one side on Maura's thigh. A small sigh of contentment escaped her and she rested a hand on the soft skin of the Blonde's knee appreciatively as she let her heavy eyelids close.

"That was amazing, Maur, where did you learn to do that with those magical hands?" she asked in a voice thick with tiredness.

Maura chuckled and played with Jane's ponytail.

"A long time ago in India, under the most wonderful teacher." she said.

"You're damn right your teacher was wonderful." Jane replied. "But right now, I need to sleep. Would you mind if I stayed here?"

"You know the guest bedroom is yours, Jane. Of course you can stay here. Go. Sleep. You need it." she patted Jane gently on both her shoulders to encourage the detective to stand up and make her way to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for the follows, Guys! It's been a long time since I last borrowed Jane and Maura so it's encouraging to know people still want to read them like I do! This chapter is brought to you by a road trip and Maura's nude dressage test protest ;) Enjoy. **

The soft tinkling and deep aroma of a full mug of coffee roused Jane from her light sleep. Her eyes focused Maura wearing cream satin pyjamas carrying 2 mugs into the room. The ME settled onto the empty side of the bed next to the Jane and when she had arranged herself into a sitting position, passed over the steaming mug of coffee.

"How are your shoulders today?" Maura asked.

"Much better, thanks Maur." Jane replied, flashing her dimpled Rizzoli smile.

"Jane, can you ride a horse English style?"

"Um, yeah, but that's a really strange thing to ask at," she checked her watch on the nightstand "8am."

"I want to ride today, and I want you to join me." Maura said softly. It was Saturday and with their case closed and both women off duty, they had a free day to spend relaxing.

"You just worked out all the kinks in my back and now you want me to sit on a horse for a few hours? I thought you loved me." Jane pouted into her coffee cup before a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Maura cocked her head and smiled at Jane. It had been a while since either of them had ridden but Jane knew Maura liked to ride and compete English Style. She let her head fall back into the pillows and smiled at Maura.

"Sure, why not. It's been a while so you might have to work out some more knots tomorrow, deal?" Jane reasoned.

"Deal. I have some jodhpurs you can borrow." Jane scowled at Maura. "You're not riding in an English saddle in jeans, Jane." the ME stated. There was going to be no argument on the subject.

Maura placed her cup on the nightstand, stood and headed to the bathroom adjoining the guest bedroom while Jane slowly got herself up. Jane couldn't help but think of Maura's offhand remark from years ago about her competing in a naked dressage test. She shook her head as she tried to stop thinking of the blonde bouncing around on the back of a horse with her breasts on show. _Get_ _a grip Rizzoli _she thought to herself, but the thought wouldn't leave her.

A while later, Maura appeared down from the master bedroom in full riding gear with her hat tucked under one arm. The tight, high waisted cream jodhpurs clung to Maura's hips and thighs as if they had been painted on. Her pale pink polo shirt stretched tight across her breasts although Jane could tell she was wearing a sports bra and her golden hair was tied in a tight bun at the nape of her neck. Tall black riding boots accentuated her calves and Jane swallowed hard. That familiar feeling began between her thighs as she watched Maura sashay down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"I laid you a pair of jodhpurs out on my bed!" Maura informed Jane excitedly as she placed her riding hat on the counter top. Jane noticed that the hat had glitter on the peak and smiled to herself. She got up and headed up stairs to change.

Maura's bedroom was familiar territory to Jane, she had spent plenty of nights in there and changed there more times than she could remember, but lately she had felt different being in the room. Her feelings for Maura were growing and so was her confusion. Did Maura feel the same way? She had made small gestures that caused Jane to question her motives, sometimes with hope, sometimes with even more confusion. But today they were just riding, a sport they could both enjoy and as far away from the world of homicide as they could get. As she slipped out of her basketball shorts and tugged herself into Maura's jodhpurs, Jane hoped for the grey gelding she liked to be available when they arrived at the stables.

As they arrived at the stable yard, Jane and Maura were met by a tall redhead in jeans and a plaid shirt.

"Doctor Isles! It's been too long!" she exclamed as she wrapped Maura in a hug. Jane winced, the thought of another woman touching Maura guy a nerve she didn't realise she had. _That's not normal, Rizzoli. _

"Katie, how are you?" Maura asked as they pulled apart. "has anyone taken Duke out? I know Jane loves him." she continued and flashed Jane a smile over her shoulder, her arms still holding Katie the yard owner.

"No, Duke is ready and waiting for you, Detective Rizzoli!" Katie beamed. Jane responded with a joking fist pump, making the other two women laugh out loud.

"Do you have time for a quick lesson before we trek out?" Maura asked Katie.

"Sure!"

Jane and Maura led their horses to the menage. Jane had Duke the big grey gelding and Maura had a smaller bay mare, more suited to her own height. As Jane stepped up to the mounting block, Maura took half a step back to admire the view of Jane's rear in her jodhpurs as she stepped up into her stirrup and threw her right leg up and over the saddle. Maura bit inadvertently licked her lower lip which didn't go unnoticed by Jane, who smiled a little to herself. _Yeah, the feeling's mutual_ she thought to herself.

Maura handed her reins to Katie and stepped toward Jane to adjust her stirrup leathers. Taking the detective's leg in her hand she pushed it forward above the saddle flap and adjusted the straps to the correct length for Jane, who, to Maura's surprise, rode with a very long relaxed leg. She picked Jane's leg back up and brought it back into position. Before she could stop herself, Maura ran her hand up the outside of Jane's thigh to feel the tense muscle. Jane's breath hitched at the ME's touch. Maura moved around the back of the horse and repeated her actions to Jane's left leg, ensuring the detective was comfortable in her seat, this time resisting the urge to touch her thigh again. Instead she walked back around and took a step up on the mounting block herself and reached up and placed her hands on Jane's stomach and back, pushing her back in and straightening the detective's posture.

"Shoulders line up with hips, don't forget." Maura said quietly before she stepped down from the block and Jane moved her horse away with a small squeeze of her legs to his sides. She turned him around to get a view of Maura mounting her horse and got a glimpse down the open neck of the pink polo shirt of Maura's cleavage pressed into her sports bra. When Maura was seated in her saddle, Katie moved in and adjusted her stirrup leathers as Maura had done for Jane and the detective's heart began to pound with jealousy as Katie touched Maura's legs and checked her seat. Maura adjusted her grip on her reins and Jane watched intently as her delicate hands moved along the leather carefully. This was going to be the most frustrating ride of Jane's life.

They each took turns riding around the menage with Katie's instruction, refreshing their skills for half an hour. Jane watched Maura intently, the way her chest bounced with the movement of her horse and the way her thigh muscles and behind tensed as she stood up and down in her trot, perfect form as ever. In turn, Maura watched Jane's taught stomach as she worked her core muscles and hips to balance through her canter. Neither woman could keep the gaze of the other without blushing slightly as the visuals before them.

When their time with Katie was up, they didn't dismount, just rode from the menage onto the trail and headed into the nearby woods.

"You have a very light seat, Jane, it's a pleasure to watch you ride. Especially with Duke's confirmation. You compliment each other well." Maura said to Jane as they rode side by side up the trail.

"Uh thanks Maur, I enjoyed watching you ride, too." Jane replied, immediately annoyed at herself for the awkward compliment and not knowing more to compliment the way Maura rode.

They rode up the trail for a few hours before they turned and headed back to the stable yard. As they arrived back, Katie met them in the yard once again. She held each horse as both riders dismounted, albeit not very gracefully after hours of being in the saddle. Jane's knees felt weak as they led their horses back to the barn to remove their tack and stable them.

"I've had a wonderful day, Jane, it's so nice to get away from work and actuallySpend time together that's not over a body." Maura told Jane in a tired voice. Jane hummed in agreement and put her hand on Maura's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze before running her hand down to the middle of her back.

" Really good. But damn, I'm tired now." Jane mused with a smile.

"Will you stay again tonight?"

"Sure, I want to use your giant tub, I smell really bad." Jane chuckled. Maura leaned in and smelled Jane, much to the detective's amusement. Maura loved the smell of horses, the smell of leather and the smell of Jane, and all mixed together they made her heart flutter again.

"There's nothing better than the smell of a horse and his leather saddle" the ME breathed in a husky voice, still standing incredibly close to Jane. She raised her eyes slowly to meet Jane's and licked her bottom lip. Jane felt a knot begin to form in her stomach and an ache between her thighs. Tomorrow she was going to insist it was her turn to choose their activity and she had the perfect idea.

Jane turned off the taps of Maura's huge bath tub and poured scented oil into the water. The bubbles were almost coming over the side and the water was steaming hot. She stepped in and lowered herself into the hot, sweet smelling water and moaned as the warmth enveloped her skin. She didn't know Maura had come up to the bedroom with a glass of wine and a cold beer or perhaps she wouldn't have moaned so loudly at the heat of the water. A light knock on the door made her open one eye.

"Jane, are you decent?"

The Detective glanced down at her body to check if she was suitably covered by bubbles. When she was certain she was, she "mmhmmm"'d her reply and Maura poked her head around the door.

"I have a beer for you." The blonde purred. Jane rolled her head back, closed her eyes and smiled as Maura entered the room with their drinks. Maura took in the sight before her, Jane's hair piled on top of her head, her unruly curls in a messy bun with small strands of hair stuck to the wet skin of her neck, her olive shoulders glistening in the soft bathroom light. It didn't go unnoticed by Jane that Maura had showered in the guest bedroom, her hair was in a towel and she wore a black satin cami and shorts that clung to her breasts and waist. She settled herself on the edge of the tub and passed Jane her bottle of beer. As the detective reached up, her breasts rose out of the water slightly and Maura couldn't help but stare. Jane's eyes met Maura's and it was her turn to lick her lips suggestively when she noticed Maura looking.

They sat together, drinking and musing on their day as Jane's muscles relaxed in the hot water and she carefully washed herself so as not to expose any more skin than she had to.

"Could you pass me a towel?" Jane finally asked and Maura obliged before slipping out of the bathroom to let Jane get dried and into her pyjamas. Eventually she joined Maura on the couch, once again in a nest of blankets and cushions. The two women sat together, exhausted from their day, Maura's head rested on Jane's shoulder and her hands resting in the detective's lap.

The next morning, the sound of the back door opening didn't rouse Jane and Maura.

"Maura! Are you awa-" it was Angela. Her sentence cut off as she saw two familiar tousled buns from over the back of the couch. Slowly and quietly she moved around to the front of the couch and found Jane and Maura in a tangle of limbs, both breathing softly, sound asleep. She slipped out her cell phone and silently took a picture of her girls. The ultimate look of serenity on both their faces as they slept in the soft morning light.


	3. Chapter 3

Jane woke first and felt the pressure of Maura's body along the side of her own. She opened one eye and peeked at the blonde's arm draped over her own stomach and their legs wrapped together. At first she wanted to jump up and away to avoid embarrassment when Maura woke but after a second, the adrenaline dissipated and she sighed contentedly. Imagine if we woke up like this every morning the thought brought a little smile to Jane's lips and she gently bent forward and gave Maura a light kiss on top of her head. Minutes passed and as Maura began to stir, Jane slowly eased herself out from beneath the beautiful ME and made her way to the kitchen to start making coffee. A normal thing for her to do for her friend, unlike waking up entwined like lovers, she thought. Although Jane had her plan in place for today she was nervous and hyper aware that if Maura didn't feel the same way for her, she risked ruining the best friendship she had ever had.

"Jane?" Maura called gently, her voice thick with sleep.

"Making coffee, Maur!" Jane called back "Good morning sleeping beauty."

"D-did I sleep down here all night?"

"Mm we both did. I guess we fell asleep during your riveting documentary." The detective grinned to herself, thinking Maura was still lay flat on the couch. The smirk was wiped off her face when a throw pillow soared through the air and hit her on the shoulder with a soft thud.

"Oh my god did you just throw a pillow at me?!" Jane yelled as she sprinted back from the kitchen to the couch, grabbing her own pillow and raising it to playfully hit the ME with it. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw Maura curled in a ball, clutching another pillow like a shield and giggling like a teenager. Jane jumped onto the couch and landed on her knees before starting to lightly hit Maura's thigh with the pillow in her hand, drawing more hysterical laughter from the ball of blonde wavy hair and satin. Maura couldn't sit up and fight back through her hysterics, tears of laughter rolled down her cheek and onto the couch and she struggled to catch her breath between laughter. Jane stopped to catch her own breath as she laughed almost as much as Maura.

"You're so mean, Maur!" Jane pretended to whinge, "I could arrest you for assaulting a police officer with a weapon!"

Maura couldn't reply, she was still laughing too much and her abs hurt. She sat up, tears still streaming down her cheeks and her face rosy from laughter. Jane took in every detail. Small strands of hair stuck to Maura's face where her tears had made her nose and cheek damp, her cheeks were pink and her bun was falling out from sleep and their play fight. Her eyes sparkled when she laughed and her smile lit up the room. Jane had never known anyone as beautiful as Maura Isles.

When she finally calmed down and caught her breath, Maura turned to Jane to ask cheekily,

"I thought you were making coffee" and her eyes twinkled again as she looked over to the detective still kneeling beside her, resting an elbow on the back of the couch.

"I was, I just didn't dare move incase you attacked Me again!"

After brewing coffee, Jane returned to the couch and settled back beside a now unarmed Maura and passed her a mug. They both sipped slowly and let the comfortable silence linger. Eventually Jane spoke,

"I want to go swimming today, do you want to join me?" she asked, hoping Maura would agree.

"Oh I'd love to. It's been so long since I swam. Can we go to the outdoor pool?" Maura enthused. In her mind she was already picturing Jane in her bathing suit and she inadvertently licked her lips and began to mentally go through her own swimwear collection to decide which she would wear herself for maximum effect.

"Sure, the outdoor pool sounds great. I'm going to shower, then we will have to stop by my apartment to get my bathing suit." Jane shrugged.

The pool was surprisingly quiet for a mild Sunday afternoon and Maura was glad. She had picked out a scarlet, high leg bikini with a push up top just to observe Jane's reaction to her body. She was sure she was being unfair to the confused detective but an experiment wasn't scientific if there was nothing to create a reaction. As she stepped out of her sun dress to reveal her carefully chosen outfit, she saw Jane gulp. Well, there's strike one, Jane she thought.

Jane gingerly slipped off her leggings and loose tshirt to reveal her black swimsuit. Not picked for looks, just functionality and intense swimming sessions. Jane suddenly felt extremely underdressed as she sneaked a look at Maura's red two piece. Drawing herself back up to her full height she tried to stay cool as she put her hands on her hips and watched Maura tie her hair into a ponytail. She concentrated hard to keep her expression neutral despite the butterflies in her stomach.

"Nice practical choice of swimwear you got there, Doctor" Jane joked as she desperately tried to calm herself down. This was her plan and it was backfiring on her in a spectacular manner.

"Ha ha, Jane" Maura smirked. She knew Jane well enough to know when she was bluffing and decided to use it to her advantage. Swimming might have been Jane's idea but Maura was going to make her realise what she was missing. She began to walk to the pool steps, deliberately swinging her hips to show off her behind. Jane followed and looked everywhere except the place she wanted to stare the most.

They swam lengths and raced each other for an hour before they stopped to rest on the side of the pool. Jane rested both her elbows behind her on the tiles, inadvertently pushing her chest out toward Maura as she swam to join the detective. Maura took in an eyeful of the ample cleavage that was so often hidden under tshirts and suit jackets. Jane was magnificent and she was going to make it worth her own while to pursue her. As she rose up out of the water to match Jane's resting position, she was aware of her own breasts and how they looked in her red bikini and when she caught Jane staring, she smiled to herself before quickly passing it off and trying not to pant as she spoke,

"That was great, even if you did beat me every time. I had no idea you were such a strong swimmer."

"I used to compete" Jane said casually before the moment was snatched from them by the sound of both their cell phones ringing in unison.

"Murder calls" Maura sighed, disappointed that their morning was going to be cut short.

"Uuuurghhhhhh" groaned Jane as she pushed herself up out of the pool and jumped up backward to sit on the side. Maura used the steps and emerged from the water gracefully like an extra from Baywatch before they padded over to their bags and answered,

"Rizzoli."

"Isles."

Their scene was a house in Back Bay. The victim a young male with an apparent head trauma although Maura would not confirm that as cause of death. As always she would do her full autopsy before even hypothesising about it. They had met Frankie and Korsak on the street outside the house and learned that their victim was 30 year old Tre Brooks, single, worked nights on the reception desk of a hotel on the harbour and failed to turn up for work the previous night. Jane swept the scene, noting the shoe print on the door, the broken lock and the missing electrical items. Her first thought was a burglary gone wrong but she would need CSRU to finish their evidence collection and Maura's results before she settled on any kind of solid theory. First of all, she wanted to do some digging on Brooks' background with Nina to see who he was and why he could be lying in a pool of his own blood and none of the neighbours had heard a thing.

Maura leant over the body, making her initial examinations. Jane approached her and squatted down, resting her arms on her knees and casting her gaze over the tall body of Tre Brooks. She knew not to ask Maura for any information because she just wouldn't get it. Instead she informed the ME that she was returning to BPD with Frankie to begin the background and find out who Brooks was.

"See you soon" Maura murmured as she concentrated on her work. Jane smiled and stood to leave.


	4. Chapter 4

Nina and Jane sat in BRIC, trawling through bank and phone records for Tre Brooks. They had been scrolling for hours while Frankie and Korsak went door to door interviewing neighbours and friends. Brooks had a clean record and no obvious history, no gang affiliation and he didn't owe money to anyone that they could find. Jane massaged her temples as she thought.

"It just looks like a burglary gone wrong to me," mused Jane aloud "but we haven't had any more in the area for months, there's no speight of TV thieves, no gangs are operating in the area, Martinez has got nothing."

"But you don't think it is a burglary gone wrong?" Nina asked.

"No, not in my gut." Jane replied with a frown. She sat back in her chair and cast another glance over the information displayed on the wall screens. "My gut says there's more to it."

As she finished speaking, Nina's cell rang.

"Hey, Frankie, what you got? Mmhmm. OK, I'll tell her."

"What'd he say" Jane sat up in her chair hoping Frankie had a lead.

"CSRU have lifted a print off the porch door handle and the garage has been robbed too. A few neighbours saw the porch light go on at around 11.45 on the night of the murder but none of them heard anything and assumed it was just a friend calling late. They've got a descroiption of a vehicle but it had no plates." explained Nina and she typed the information into her computer while she relayed it to Jane.

"Great! That's something at least. I'm going for real coffee, you want some?"

"Sure, thanks Jane."

* * *

The doors to the morgue swung open as Jane kicked them and backed in to the room with two cups of coffee. She had taken Nina's to the bullpen and excused herself, stating that she wanted to witness the autopsy herself. In truth, she did. The impact wound on the head was important and if Maura could give her an idea of what had been used to inflict it, she would have a better idea of what kind of murder weapon to search for. However, a small part of her just wanted to be in Maura's company. The way she felt was confusing and scary but the ME's presence had a calming effect on Jane's tempest of thoughts.

"Jane, is that you?" Maura asked from behind her surgical mask, bent over the chest cavity as she worked. She didn't look up.

"Hey Maur, I brought you coffee." Jane replied as she sauntered over to the side of the table. "What you got so far?"

"He was healthy, last ate at around 8pm, non-smoker," she stood up and removed her mask, pushing her chin forward slightly and leaning over the body. Jane held her cup over as she sipped the coffee without touching the cup with bloodied nitrile gloves "mmm perfect, thank you. I haven't got to the head yet."

"Oh goodie, I'm just in time!" she joked but she was serious, the head injuries were going to help her more than the stomach contents.

For half an hour, Maura meticulously conducted her examination and dissection of Brooks' head while Jane sat on the autopsy table next to her, swinging her legs and paying close attention to Maura's dictation. Eventually, they both straightened and Maura looked to Jane.

"You are looking for a long cylindrical implement made of metal, approximately 20mm wide. It was used to strike the back of the skull twice and the hemorrhaging and subsequent pressure build up of blood from the radiating fractures is what killed him." the ME explained, pointing at the X Ray images on her screen as she spoke.

"Someone smashed him around the back of the head twice with a piece of metal pipe?"Jane confirmed. Maura nodded.

"Thanks, Maur, that's great." she said as she hopped off the table and headed toward the door. Before she left she turned to the ME, "see you tonight?"

"Always" replied Maura with a wide smile.

The afternoon passed into the evening as Boston's homicide detectives worked to find leads in Tre Brooks' life, but he was surprisingly difficult to pin down to much. Jane resorted to sending early evening messages to contacts at the FBI with the hope of finding information outside Massachusetts. Eventually the elevator doors slid open and Maura stepped into the office. Jane glanced from Maura to the wall clock which showed 8.15 pm and she realised with a wave of guilt that Maura had probably been waiting for her. She wheeled her chair back from her desk and called over to Korsak,

"Alright, I'm calling it a night. I can't think straight any more and I won't hear back from the feds 'til morning. I'm gonna eat then sleep. See you guys in the morning."

Jane crossed the room to join Maura and subconsciously placed one hand on the smaller woman's back, gently guiding her out of the room first. They rode the elevator in silence, Jane's thoughts still ticking over and her frustration creeping back into her temples.

* * *

After cleaning up the takeout they had picked up on the way back to Maura's Beacon Hill home, Jane joined Maura on the couch with a bottle of beer in her hand. Her headache had begun to crawl round the back of her head and into her shoulders again and she rolled her neck to loosen the muscles.

"You have case face, talk to me." Maura commanded. She couldn't sit in silence all evening while Jane retreated into herself and she knew the detective wouldn't sleep if she didn't vocalise her thoughts properly. She had known Jane long enough to know she often took her work to bed with her and didn't rest properly until she had her perpetrator in a cell. Often Maura wondered how they did what they did every day but she always came to the conclusion that they managed it because they had each other at the end of the day and that brought her a great deal of comfort.

"Urgh Maura I hate this. We have next to nothing. We haven't found a weapon, CSRU can't find hairs or fibers... Who enters a house and doesn't leave at least _something_ behind? This morning I thought we had a burglary gone wrong but it's too clean, too meticulous. Someone wanted Tre Brooks dead and I need to know why so I can find out who. There is no pipe like the one you described to me anywhere in the house so it looks like they took it with them with the purpose of killing Brooks." Jane's thoughts came tumbling out.

"It does seem odd. And the force used to cause fractures like that would be significant. The person swinging the weapon was tall and strong. The blows came from above in a downward trajectory, as if Brooks was on his knees when they were delivered." Maura mimed the action of swinging a long implement down toward Jane's knees.

"Let's leave it for tonight, Maur. I'm sure you have something educational to send me to sleep on your DVR." the sarcasm was thick in Jane's voice as she smiled at Maura over the top of her beer bottle. Maura batted at her arm and reached for the remote, inching slightly closer in the process and as she settled back into the couch she rested her head on Jane's shoulder. Blonde curls tickled Jane's chest and the brunette sighed contentedly as Maura's documentary played out.

* * *

Pale sunlight crept in through the blinds the next morning, gently lighting the room. Maura stirred and felt a weight over her side and the warmth of another person up her back. Soft breathing tickled her kneck and for a second she was wholly confused. Her confusion turned to a feeling of satisfaction when she realised that her big spoon was Jane, nuzzled right in to her hair, breathing on her neck with their knees tucked together tightly. Jane's arm rested over Maura's waist and her hand lay just shy of her breasts. The blonde sighed deeply and breathed in Jane's soft scent. She shuffled slightly trying to increase their contact and in her sleep, Jane pulled Maura closer, sighed and tucked her hand under Maura's breasts. The doctor's pulse quickened and happiness crept through her. _We should wake up like this every morning_ she thought. Both women had said goodnight in the corridor before Jane had retreated to the guest room the night before, and Maura wondered what time she had crept into the master bedroom and into the king sized bed to spoon up together. Really, she didn't care, she was just glad Jane had sought her out for comfort and hoped she had slept long enough to face the case again. They were both in for another long day and Maura hoped that meant another sleepover. Her favourite nights were those spent with Jane, on her couch laughing and getting sleepy. Fancy dinners and art installations meant nothing to her unless they were with Jane and even then they paled in comparison to those moments of time spent alone together just being content with each other's company. She lay in Jane's arms for a while longer, enjoying the feeling of soft breathing on her neck until eventually she thought that she ought to get up and start brewing some coffee for the detective to avoid an embarrassed Jane who would no doubt try to run from the situation, which was the last thing Maura wanted. She slipped out from under Jane's arm and heard her grunt in her sleep as she lost her warm little spoon. Smiling back at the sleeping detective, Maura slipped away and headed downstairs.

Jane heard music coming from the kitchen as she crossed the hall and headed to the stairs. Pausing half way down, she saw Maura busy brewing coffee and cooking eggs. The stereo played Cher and Jane grinned to herself, thinking of Maura's sparkly new corset and wondering just who it was for.

_We're gonna love one another_

_' Til morning comes_

_Seek the sweet salvation_

_For what we've done_

_Give up resisting one by one_

_One by one_

Maura sang along to the music, swaying her hips and occasionally tossing her hair. Blonde curls cascaded over her shoulders and shone in the morning light.

_He gives a new kind of meaning_

_To what I am_

_I know that I could never_

_Love any other man_

_One of these days he'll understand_

_Understand_

Jane couldn't be sure but she almost thought she heard Maura change the words of the song from "He" to "She" as she sung. Pushing the thought from her mind, she continued down the stairs and raised her voice to speak over the music.

"Oh, hey! Cher! Aren't you getting dressed today?" she joked as she referred to Maura wearing yoga pants and a BPD athletics t-shirt. A BPD t-shirt that belonged to Jane, no less. Maura whipped round to see Jane fully dressed and ready for work.

"Of course I'm getting dressed, Jane." she scowled. "But I don't need to be in my office as early as you do, so I thought you'd appreciate coffee and breakfast."

"I do appreciate it, Maur, I really do." Jane reassured her with a sweet smile. "You're too good to me."

Maura watched Jane take a seat at the breakfast bar, checked the eggs and began spooning them into matching egg cups and laid them down on the counter.

"Thanks Maur." said Jane as she took the blonde's hand and gave it a squeeze. Finishing up her breakfast, Jane quickly washed her dishes before heading to the lock box by the front door to retrieve her gun. She turned back before she left,

"Bye Maura! Don't come to work in my clothes, tongues will wag!" she called and before Maura could answer, the door banged shut behind her, leaving the ME stood in the kitchen with her mouth open at the boldness of Jane's statement following the situation Maura had woken up in only 45 minutes earlier.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Wow! I am absolutely overwhelmed by the support this story is getting. Thank you all so so much! It's been so many years since I've borrowed Jane and Maura that it's encouraging and inspiring to know that people still want to read them 3**

* * *

"Tre Brooks is not actually a Tre Brooks at all. He is one Jason Hopper, moved to Boston 3 years ago and assumed a new identity." Nina informed Jane with a look of satisfaction on her face as the detective walked into BRIC.

"Nina, that's great! Wait, how long did you stay here?" Jane asked.

"I didn't leave... I wouldn't have slept anyway so I just kept digging." replied Nina, sheepishly. Jane smiled and shook her head knowing that she couldn't chide Nina for pulling an all nighter when she did it so often herself.

Brooks had moved to Boston 2 years previously to escape a drug ring and start a new life but it seemed his plan hadnt worked and his old life had caught up with him. Jane headed back to her desk to dog through the new information Nina had found, determined to find someone with a motive.

At 1.30 her phone pinged next on the desk. The message was from Maura and simply read "found something". Jane stood and headed to the elevator.

"What did you get Maura?" Jane asked as she entered the morgue.

"DNA from the door handle. We just finished processing it." Maura replied with a satisfied look on her face. "I ran it through the system and you are looking for one Malcolm Evans."

Jane fist pumped the air and sprang forward, placing both hands on Maura's shoulders before planting a kiss on her forehead and spinning around, exiting the room in a hurricane of black curls. Maura stood still for a moment with a blush creeping up her chest. She could have given Jane the information via a text but she was so glad the detective had come down and... Kissed her.

* * *

Time crept toward 10pm and Jane and Maura sat in The Dirty Robber sipping drinks and musing over life. The conversation dwindled and Maura took a strand of hair in her fingers and began to twist it around as she pondered. Her thoughts strayed to the kiss Jane had planted on her forehead. It had been quick and done with joy for a lead but Maura still felt the ghost of Jane's soft lips on her skin.

"That's a sign of sexual frustration." Jane growled in an almost inaudible voice. She looked at Maura from underneath her eyelashes and a fire coursed through the ME's veins. Was Jane flirting with her? Probably not, but she dropped her hand on to the table and took hold of Jane's. Slowly she rubbed her thumb over the scar on the detective's palm and watched as Jane closed her eyes at the sensation. For Jane the feeling in her core became too much to ignore without leaning forward and kissing Maura again and she slowly took her own hand back, careful not to snatch away and hurt Maura's feelings.

"We should go home, Jane." Maura mumbled. She meant to her home but in her heart she knew Jane would return to her own apartment and they would both sleep alone that night. Their sleepovers couldn't last forever and Jane hadn't slept in her own bed for a week.

* * *

_Maura's knuckle grazed down the length of Jane's spine as she slowly unzipped the crimson satin dress. Light kisses peppered the detective's olive shoulders as the ME slowly pushed the satin over and down Jane's shoulders and the dress slipped down past her waist and pooled on the floor. Jane turned to face Maura and placed her scarred hands on the ME's perfectly curved hips. Maura cast her gaze over Jane's lean, toned body. Her matching red satin underwear was lightly jewelled along the top of the cups and waistband and Maura took one of her breasts in her hands as she stood up on her tiptoes to kiss Jane. Their kiss grew in intensity and Maura nipped at Jane's lower lip. Jane opened her mouth to Maura and their tongues met. Maura increased the pressure of the kiss and reached up to unpin Jane's hair from the twisted bun and tangle her fingers into it as it fell around her shoulders..._

Jane's bolted upright in bed, the room pitch dark and a cold sweat clinging to her skin. What had happened? Maura had featured in her dreams plenty of times before but never like that. Her body had reacted to the dream and she felt her pulse pounding in her neck and between her legs. Throwing herself backwards into her pillows, she grunted and pounded her fists on the mattress. She wished she was in Maura's bed able to roll over and rest her head on the Blonde's back and breathe in her soft scent. _This is so wrong, Rizzoli_ she thought, battling to try to stop thinking about her dream and how badly she wanted to kiss Maura and touch her body. The dream replayed in her mind over and over until she dealt with herself and slipped back into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

All morning, Jane hid in BRIC with Nina while Frankie and Korsak went out to bring in Malcolm Evans for interview. She was avoiding seeing Maura, desperately trying not to relive her dream by staying focused on completing the case file for Korsak to use on Evans and try for a confession. So far their work had paid off and they had a motive and solid forensic evidence placing him at the scene. Korsak's interview technique was going to be to push for a confession and a plea deal. Jane's phone buzzed on her desk. She glanced at the notification on the lock screen and saw that the text was from Maura.

**Did you come to work today? I haven't seen you a day. I hope you're OK x**

**Yeah I'm with Nina in BRIC x**

Three dots appeared on the screen as Maura typed.

**Will you come down here for some coffee? I need to ask you something x**

Jane's pulse quickened once again and she turned to Nina, trying to keep a calm exterior.

"That's Maura. I'm going to the morgue to see what it is she needs. I'll see you when the boys get back?"

"Sure thing, Jane. I'll call you when they're here." Replied Nina breezily without looking away from her screen.

Jane found Maura at her desk wiriting reports. With no new bodies since Brooks, the ME had time to finish up and she would be done before Jane and the others, leaving her with some time to tie up loose ends and think about what she wanted to do when they charged their suspect. She knew she wanted to spend some time with Jane, maybe take her out to dinner and send her some signals to see if her feelings were reciprocated.

"Hey. Everything OK?" Jane asked as she walked in and sat on the couch in Maura's office.

"Of course!" Maura smiled and stood up to begin making coffee. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, Maur. Nina and I have been working on a file for Korsak. He's going in for a confession and a plea deal based off your forensics. Hopefully we can have this tied up by dinner." replied the Detective and she stretched her arms along the back of the couch. Maura stole a glance at her toned arms as she stretched.

"Perfect! I wanted to ask you if you'd like to go to Dinner tomorrow night? If you are free of course. I'd like to take you to the Sorellina." Maura asked casually. Her stomach was full of butterflies but she kept a cool exterior.

"Damn, that's posh. Do I have to wear a dress?" Jane asked.

"I thought it would be nice. It's my treat, you deserve it. In fact, we both deserve it. And I know you secretly like getting dressed up almost as much as I do." Maura teased. She chuckled at Jane's scrunched up expression as she handed the detective a mug of coffee and settled into one of her arm chairs.

"Alright fine, it's a date."

Maura's face lit up. She began mentally planning what she would wear to have the most impact on Jane to try and help her realise that they really did belong together. Suddenly Maura noticed her best friend's face fall and a furrow of concern cross her brow.

"What is it, Jane?" she asked gently. At first Jane only shook her head in reply and frowned more but after a few seconds she spoke.

"Is it true that our dreams come from the last thing we think about before we go to sleep?" she asked quietly. Maura considered the question for a moment and replied,

"No, not always. Sometimes our dreams come from things we have been thinking about or that we want subconsciously. Sometimes they're based on past experience and sometimes they're stem from our anxieties. Dreams are complicated things. Are you having nightmares again?"

"No I'm not having nightmares," Jane smiled "but I've had a confusing dream and I can't stop thinking about it, even though it makes me feel nervous."

"Do you want to tell me what it was about?" Maura asked.

"No, not really. Not right now anyway." Replied Jane with a small smile and she sipped her coffee. Maura knew Jane was hiding something from her and she hoped it was because the detective had been dreaming about her, as she had been dreaming about Jane.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: This is slow burn for me! I'm really trying hard not to heat things up too much too soon but when I do, do people want an M rating or for it to be kept T? Inbetween this chapter and the next I am going to work on a little two shot to try and keep myself reigned in for this story so look out for that!

* * *

From upstairs, Maura heard Jane open the front door to her home and let herself in. She smiled at how comfortable the detective was and a warmth crept up her arms as she thought of where they were headed to eat. With one last glance at her reflection, she headed downstairs to greet Jane and stopped in her tracks when she saw the sight before her. A red dress clung tightly to every inch of Jane's body. The off the shoulder neckline accentuated her breasts and well defined shoulders and the black heeled sandals on her feet made her legs look more sculpted than Maura had ever seen them before. The Blonde's breath hitched and her pulse quickened as she took in the way Jane looked. A huge grin spread across Jane's face when she turned and saw Maura. Blonde hair sat in a bun atop hear head, her face framed by her bangs. The black pencil skirt skimmed her knees and showed off her calves in black pumps that Jane knew would be Louboutin before she even saw the red soles. And the corset. Maura wore the black sparkling corset and glittered in the light of the hallway. It fit her perfectly, cinching her waist and pushing her breasts upward. Jane gasped audibly

"Wow, Maura, you look... Incredible." she said in a low husky voice, filled with lust that Maura noticed.

"As do you, Jane. Is your dress new?" asked the ME. She crossed the room and caressed the fabric at Jane's waist admiring the dress. "It's exquisite, I didn't even know you owned it."

Jane didn't answer immediately. Instead she leaned forward and kissed Maura lightly on the cheek as she had done a thousand times before, but this time there was a spark. Small and barely noticeable but the electricity from such a small gesture fizzed between the pair and Maura's hand lingered on Jane's hip. She smiled bashfully up at the detective before turning and sashaying into the kitchen to collect her purse and coat.

"Our taxi is waiting outside." she informed Jane.

As they drove through the city under the street lights and neon signs, they casually discussed the case. Korsak had got his confession and Evans had been charged with first degree murder and several drug offences. Martinez had appeared at the last minute to really nail him to the wall and the men had gone to The Robber to celebrate their victory. Frankie had invited Jane and attempted to pry when she said no but her tight lips hadn't given even the slightest hint of where she was headed or who with. It was nerve wracking and exhilarating at the same time and as long as only she and Maura knew, the more special it stayed.

They were seated at their candle lit table for two and Maura perused the wine list and selected a Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Jane didn't need to know her Wine to know Maura had just spent over a thousand dollars on that bottle. The soft orange light from the candle danced across Maura's jewelled neckline and once again she glittered like fresh snow in the early morning.

"Are you enjoying the view, Detective?" Maura purred when she noticed Jane looking at the sparkles on her chest. Jane swallowed and found the courage to reply,

"Actually, I am." and she raised her glass to take a slow, sultry sip of her wine.

Maura reached out and brushed her fingertips lightly over Jane's hand. "I'm glad you like it. The beadwork was the reason I bought it. It's all hand sewn."

A smile tugged at the corners of Jane's mouth. Trust Maura to start talking about the details of fashion immediately after flirting.

They dined on course after course of exquisite food and when Jane went to the bathroom, Maura ordered another bottle of wine. She didn't care what it cost, she just wanted Jane to enjoy their evening and more than anything, realise the connection they had. The way it had changed filled Maura with self assurance and she knew she had to play on her own strengths to convince Jane that it was OK to feel the same way. As Jane crossed the restaurant to rejoin Maura at their table, the ME admired her lithe form in the red dress and licked her lips. How she would love to get Jane home and slip her out of that dress, to show her what she really felt and make her feel alive. As Jane sat down a glint appeared in Maura's eye,

"Will you teach me to shoot?" she asked. Confusion crossed Jane's face and she frowned.

Jane almost spat her wine back into the glass.

"Wait a minute, you want me to coach you at baseball so you can beat me. Yeah, that sounds fair!" Jane choked between laughs.

"Yes! Come on Jane, we don't get to do fun things very often. It will be fun!" Maura pleaded, feigning an innocent look.

"Oh my god," Jane chuckled. She thought for a moment and then patted the table. "OK, fine. Tomorrow morning we'll go to the firing range. And NO toe shoes!" she jabbed a finger toward Maura. The blonde pouted and began to object.

"N. O." repeated Jane, laughing.

The BPD firing range was empty except for Alexandra the instructor. Unsurprising for a Saturday morning but Maura still felt relief and a playful smile tugged at her lips. She intended to have a little fun this morning while she honed her new skill. She watched Jane pick a booth and begin loading her weapon. Naturally Jane had brought her own gun. If she was going to teach someone else to shoot she wouldn't use something she didn't know. It was like an extension to herself and to use a different one would probably mean Maura wouldn't get a lesson of the same quality. Maura crossed the range toward Alexandra and collected their ear defenders and safety glasses.

"Good morning Doctor Isles, are you here to practice?" Alexandra asked with a quizzical look in her eyes.

"I am! Detective Rizzoli said she would teach me to shoot, I'm hoping it will be a good exercise." Replied Maura with a dimpled smile. Alexandra quirked an eyebrow and handed over the PPE.

"Well I need to step out a minute, you two have fun." she smirked.

Jane hovered behind Maura as they put on their defenders and goggles. Her eyes raked over Maura's back and she resisted the urge to place her hand on the curve of the ME's hip.

"OK, so this is the safety, you obviously want that off when you're going to shoot and on when it's on your side." she began to explain the anatomy of the gun to Maura, passing it between her hands and pointing each part out. "The magazine catch to release and change your mag. I've loaded you an extra one right here. Hold it, get a feel for the weight in your hands"

Maura took the Glock 19 in her right hand, she examined it carefully making note of the positions of the catches Jane had showed her. She took the weapon in both hands and raised it to eye level. Jane reached forward around her body and moved her trigger finger away from the trigger to lie along the frame above the guard.

"Don't put your finger on the trigger until you're ready to take the shot." Jane said close to Maura's ear so that she could hear through her ear defenders. The Blonde felt the Detective's breath on her neck and the hairs along her arms stood on end. Jane held Maura tighter as she adjusted the ME's grip and stance with the gun by placing her own hands over the smaller woman's on the gun. Maura shifted her legs and ended up grinding her bottom into Jane's hips and feeling her breasts press against her back. The strength in Jane's arms was sending shockwaves through Maura's entire body and she had to fight to concentrate on what she was being taught. Jane brought their arms up to line the sight with Maura' s eye.

"Make sure your sights line up straight and then when they do, move your finger to the trigger and squeeze, don't pull." Jane said in a voice so low it vibrated through Maura. The blonde exhaled, shut one eye, lined up her shot and squeezed three times. Three perfect rounds into a chest shot on the target. She exhaled and relaxed into Jane's body before a dimpled grin spread over her face. She turned to meet a high five from Jane, whose grin was just as big.

"Yes! Excellent!! Good Job,Maur!" Jane enthused." your grouping is great! OK let's go for a leg shot."

They continued in the same close position for a few more rounds before Jane stepped back and Maura took a few shots on her own. She kept a perfect form and made each shot exactly as she intended. Jane was pleasantly surprised by Maura's proficiency with a firearm and if she was truthful with herself, it got her more than a little hot under the collar. They wound up their session and headed to a French café a block away from BPD. When they were seated and had ordered food, Maura sat back in her seat and eyed Jane.

"Did you enjoy our date last night?" she asked. Jane reddened slightly at the memory of Maura in her corset.

"Yeah, it was really great. The food was incredible, you looked wonderful. It felt good." Jane replied with a coy smile.

"I'm so glad you enjoyed it, so did I. Would you like to go again?" Maura asked. "We've been skirting around this for so long."

Jane dropped her head and began to rub the scars on her palms with her thumbs. Nerves fluttered in her stomach and her mouth dried. She agreed with Maura, they had been skirting around it for such a long time but the anxiety that came with her feelings for Maura were a dull ache that lived in her muscles and chewed at her insides. What would her mother say, her colleagues, her brothers. She didn't think she had been attracted to a woman before and she was sure it was Maura's intelligence and beauty that had her captivated, rather than her gender but her Catholic guilt was waging a battle in her head. She wanted more dates with Maura, hell she wanted to act on the way her body reacted to Maura's but she was so scared by the unknown territory. Jane Rizzoli was never scared, she knew how to get what she wanted when she wanted it but everything about Maura and the way she made Jane feel scared her to death.


	7. Chapter 7

Winter had crept up on Boston over a few short days and suddenly the city was covered in a thick blanket of clean, crisp snow. Icicles hung from the bare trees and the residents had all pulled their hats and scarves out from the backs of their closets.

That evening Jane fumbled with the key to Maura's door through her gloved hands and when the door opened, she whirled inside with a gust of frigid air.

"Maur! You ready?" she yelled into the house.

"In here" came a muffled reply from the master bedroom. Jane made her way up to find a dishevelled looking Maura among endless amounts of coats, scarves and gloves all in a pile on her closet floor. The detective laughed her deep, throaty laugh and ruffled her hair that had become somewhat flat under her own Red Sox bobble hat.

"Did your closet finally take its revenge?" she chuckled. Maura pouted.

"I can't find the coat I want. It's a Winser London wool one and it matches my boots perfectly." Maura whined.

"Maura, I wanna go to the park. Wear something waterproof, it's gonna snow again." Jane said.

Maura huffed and picked out a coat and scarf before she got off the bed and finally smiled at Jane. She crossed the room and pecked the detective lightly on the cheek. Jane coloured slightly although it was hidden by the pink of her cheeks from the cold air outside.

* * *

They walked through the city in the snow toward Boston Public Garden. Little fairy lights illuminated lamp posts, trees and storefronts all along the way and Maura felt giddy when she looked at all the pretty lights. They had stopped to get hot chocolates with whipped cream, caramel and marshmallows. Each sip filled both women with warmth against the cold night. The untouched areas of snow glittered under the street lamps and Maura thought it looked like crushed diamond.

Untouched snow covered most of the Public Garden in blankets, reflecting the lights all around and illuminating the air. Jane and Maura settled on to a bench under a tall lamp and it began to snow again, small flakes danced in the night air and settled on their clothes. Jane watched as snowflakes came to rest in Maura's hair, on her hat and as they melted on her cup. The tip of her nose and both her cheeks were pink from the chilled wind but Jane thought she was the warmest thing in Boston right there and then.

Maura stopped looking up at the falling snow and turned to Jane.

"I love winter." she said softly. Jane smiled and nodded in agreement. _I love you_.

"Maur.." Jane began to say, but her confidence died when Maura's green eyes met her own.

"What is it?"

"Mmm, nothing. It doesn't matter." but Jane's eyes glanced down at Maura's lips. The split second action didn't go unnoticed by the medical examiner and she held Jane's gaze. Silently and tentatively she reached her gloved hand out to take Jane's. They sat for a moment hand in hand, neither daring to look at the other. Maura shuffled slightly and closed the gap between them. Time seemed to stand still and the seconds of silence felt like hours before Maura tentatively placed a kiss on Jane's cheek. The warmth of Maura's lips against her cold face sent eclectricity fizzing through Jane's veins and her skin burned where the lips of the ME had been. She swallowed hard and turned to face Maura.

"Maur... I..." she tried to speak but instead Maura kissed her again, square on the lips. Jane's heart began to race and the butterflies in her stomach became the size of birds. She reached up and gently touched Maura's cheek as she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. Jane noted the sweet taste of Maura's lips, the softness and fullness. She pulled Maura's face closer to deepen their connection. Maura's tongue traced Jane's bottom lip, asking her to open her mouth. The detective obliged and their hands tangled into one another's hair and their cold noses brushed together lightly in the silent snowfall. They kissed until they needed air and broke away breathing heavily.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry." Maura began to stammer as Jane's expression became one of terror. What had she done? Jane stood and tried to leave, but Maura still had hold of her hand and pulled her back. "Don't go, Jane. Please don't leave me."

Jane sat beside her on the bench, still holding her hand, but looking dead ahead and breathing deeply through her nose.

"I'm sorry." said the blonde once again, "I didn't mean to freak you out. I thought you wanted it too."

Jane's voice came out as barely a whisper, "I did. I wanted it so badly but it scares the shit out of me."

Maura reached up and turned Jane's head toward her with her hand.

"We've been skirting around this for years, Jane." said the ME sincerely. "We can either try it and see what happens or we can forget it ever happened." she smiled and squeezed Jane's hand in what she hoped was a reassuring way.

"I don't want to forget that, ever." Jane whispered.

Maura leaned in and kissed her again. Gently and quickly, but enough to make Jane raise her hand to her lips afterward and trace along her cupid's bow. Maura smiled again and her dimples made Jane melt inside. She was the most beautiful woman the detective had ever actually laid eyes on and her body wanted more but her mind continued to put the breaks on.

"What if it doesn't work? I can't lose you, Maura. You're the best friend I've ever had"

"A wise woman once said, 'relationships - the ones that last - are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. You know, one day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is... suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with'." Maura quoted.

Jane paused for a moment and considered Maura's words until a grin spread across her face and she began to laugh a real, heartfelt laugh.

"That's an X-Files quote, you nerd!" Jane exclaimed between her laughs. Maura began to laugh with her.

"But it's true! We already know what it's like to spend most of our time together, we care for each other, your family is my family. We have been doing this for years without the... Fun stuff." Maura explained still wearing her smile.

"Fun stuff?" Jane lowered her voice almost to a growl and raised one eyebrow. Maura blushed and fluttered her eyelashes.

"Please, Jane, give it a chance. Please"

Jane nodded and tugged Maura's hand as she stood up. The ME stood with her and they began to walk back through the park hand in hand never breaking their new found contact.

When they reached Beacon Hill, Jane pecked Maura goodnight and left for her own apartment. She needed to go and have a lengthy discussion about her evening with Jo Friday and a beer. Steeling herself against the cold, she slipped into the night, unknowingly leaving Maura leant with her back to the door smiling and planning her next move. The hard part was over, now she had to keep those sparks flying and convince Jane that they were truly right for each other. Maura couldn't imagine herself kissing anyone else ever again now that she had tasted Jane Rizzoli's lips.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: The response to this is just so overwhelming, thank you ALL so much. You're definitely inspiring me to keep going!! I'd love a few suggestions and prompts for things you'd like to read so I can keep this going as long as possible. I'm sure you've also all realised I'm terrible at the real slow burn so next chapter we will get to the "fun stuff" and it will be rated M. Meanwhile, enjoy the build up! **

* * *

The homicide unit had been unusually quiet for the week and its detectives found themselves finishing paperwork, reviewing court files and any number of other administrative tasks that most of them had been avoiding between active investigations. A very bored Jane Rizzoli had taken to flicking chewed up balls of paper at her little brother and ducking down pretending to do her paperwork when he looked around. Eventually he caught her, got her in a headlock and threatened to put all of her files in the shredder while she squealed and yelled about how hard she was going to kick his ass until Korsak had separated them and clipped them both around the back of the head like a frustrated parent. Jane hated paperwork and she hated court files more.

"I'm going to get a bagel from Ma." she grunted, with no intention of going to the Division One Cafe at all.

Maura was at her desk working with her chin rested on one hand as she concentrated on the screen in front of her. She barely registered the sound of the elevator doors or Jane's heeled boots on the tiles as she approached the ME's office. When Jane poked her head around the door to say "Hey", Maura finally snapped out of her trance.

"Jane" Maura breathed, "I was beginning to think you weren't coming today."

"Sorry, I didn't want to look too obvious." she grinned "And aiming spit balls at Frankie was pretty amusing." she laughed her deep, throaty snigger. The one that hit Maura right in the chest and made her pulse quicken.

"That's disgusting" Maura laughed "Do you know there are up to 1000 types of bacteria in the huma-"

"Yep. I know. And now they're all over him. But you weren't complaining when your tongue was in my mouth." Jane cut her off and shrugged as she flopped down on Maura's couch. The ME was taken aback by Jane's blasé statement, given the way she had reacted when she had tried to run after their kiss.

"Where do we go from here?" Maura asked quietly.

"Well I'm going to go to your fancy coffee machine, make us both coffee, then I'm going to go back up to my desk and finish off my brain numbing work." Jane said flatly, purposefully trying to get a reaction out of Maura. It worked and the blonde sighed deeply and rolled her eyes.

"Will you come for dinner tonight? I can make ravioli."

"Sounds great!" Jane grinned.

* * *

As she went through the door, Jane set Jo Friday on the floor in Maura's hallway and watched the scruffy little dog patter merrily into the kitchen to Maura. It made Jane smile to think that her dog was as happy here as she was and the thought gave her a little confidence that perhaps they did belong there with Maura. For the past few years they had spent more time there than they did at Jane's apartment, slept there in the same bed as Maura, and Jo Friday had stayed there while both women went to work on more occasions than Jane could actually accurately remember. _Perhaps this is just our normal... Only with more kissing_ thought Jane. She made her way into the kitchen and found Maura singing as she stirred what smelled like an arrabiatta sauce on the stove. The blonde swayed her hips to the beat and Jane inadvertently licked her lips as she watched for a second.

Finally she made her way over to the refrigerator and took ourmt one of the beers that Maura only kept in there for her, uncapped it and took a swig as she leaned against the counter beside the stove and looked at Maura.

"Hey" said the blonde with a smile.

"Hey yourself." replied Jane. "Smells good."

In their unique way they settled onto the couch after eating and Maura naturally swung her legs up to rest her feet in Jane's lap. The detective began to rub up and down the blonde's legs gently the way she often did when they sat in this position on Maura's couch. Casually, the ME flicked through the channels and settled on a movie that had only just started. After a while, Maura shifted her position and sat beside Jane. Close but not touching. Her hands rested in her lap and she found herself watching Jane rather than their movie. She took in the profile of the wild haired detective, her high cheekbones, soft lips, straight nose and angular jaw. She looked at the mane of curls sitting on her shoulders and the way one or two coiled individually down over the back of the cushion. Her gaze moved downward and she took in those strong shoulders and biceps, the tight work t-shirt stretched over her ample breasts. Long fingers curled around the bottle in her hand. Slowly, a smile crept on to Jane's lips as she felt the Doctor looking at her.

"You OK there?" she asked without taking her eyes off the television. Maura blushed when she was caught.

"Sorry." Whisperd the blonde. Jane turned to face her and caressed her cheek with the back of her hand. Slowly she set her bottle down on the coffee table, settled back into the seat and rested her hand on Maura's thigh. The ME jumped slightly at her touch so close to the top of her leg. Tentatively, Jane closed the gap between them and their lips met again. They kissed softly and allowed their hands to begin roaming gently. Jane massaged Maura's thigh closer and closer to her centre eliciting small squeaks of pleasure from the blonde. Maura caressed Jane's arms and let her thumbs graze down the side of the detective's breasts through her shirt. Their kiss heated and Maura reached to take Jane' breasts in her hands and began to explore them, putting pressure on her nipples that were now visible through the fabric. Jane's hands snaked around Maura's hips and found the curve of her lower back before she squeezed the Blonde's ass and drew a moan from her which vibrated into their kiss. Jane growled and moved to straddle Maura. Kneeling over the doctor, she took her wrists and pinned them to the couch before she moved to kiss her jawline, down her neck, nipping and licking as she went, along her collarbones and on to the small area of skin that was showing at the neckline of the doctor's satin cashmere sweater. Maura's hips moved beneath Jane as she tried to increase the pressure between them and satiate some of the growing desire between her thighs. Jane growled again at the feeling of Maura beneath her. She was more turned on than she had ever been before by the perfect blonde underneath her who so obviously wanted her. She paused and sat back,

"Is this OK? Can we do this?" she asked gingerly.

Maura panted from their kiss and stared deeply into Jane's dark eyes.

"If we don't, I'm going to be in a pretty bad mood tomorrow." Replied Maura in a husky voice, thick with arousal. "You'd better take me to bed, Jane."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: OK, you guys asked for M so this chapter is most definitely M! I couldn't leave you all hanging for too long so enjoy!!**

**With Christmas around the corner my writing could go one of two ways... I'm either going to get a ton of time to write or no time at all but please know this is a fully realised story in my brain with an epilogue, I just need to actually get it written out! **

* * *

Jane carried Maura to the master bedroom with the Doctor's legs wrapped around her waist and her hands in the unruly black curls. They never broke their kiss all the way there until Jane lowered Maura on to the bed and crawled up to straddle her again. She leaned over the Doctor with her black hair forming a curtain around their faces. Maura reached up and tucked one side behind her ear to look at the Detective's angular features in the lamp light. Her breaths quickened and she wrapped her legs back around Jane's waist, yearning for the contact.

They spent a moment looking into each other's eyes, enjoying the feeling of finally being on Maura's bed, about to do what they both wanted so badly until a small frown threatened to knot Jane's eyebrows together.

"Jane?" Asked Maura gently and reached up to stroke Jane's cheek with the back of her hand.

"Are you sure this is OK?" Jane asked in a low whisper. Maura smiled and took Jane's face in her hands. She kissed the detective deeply and pulled away.

"I've never been so sure of anything in my life." Maura replied and squeezed Jane's hips with her legs that were still wrapped around the lean, toned waist.

Maura switched their positions. She sat up on Jane and took her hands. Gently she guided the long fingers to the hem of her shirt and slipped Jane's hands underneath to feel her skin. Jane closed her eyes and made a small sound of satisfaction at the touch before she pushed the fabric upward and removed Maura's shirt and toss it to the corner of the room. The sight of Maura in a deep red satin bra made Jane's pulse quicken. Her ample breasts were pushed up and Jane ran her hands over both, drawing a satisfied sigh from the Blonde.

"Jesus, you're gorgeous" whispered Jane. She sat up from underneath Maura and reached to remove her own shirt. The doctor stilled her hands and removed the shirt herself, grazing her knuckles purposefully up Jane's sides, making her quiver.

Maura flicked the shirt to join her own on the floor and paused, licking her lips at the sight of the Detective's naked chest. Jane's work suits disguised the true beauty of her body and Maura leant forward to kiss the top of one breast. As she leant down, Jane reached around to unhook Maura's bra and feel more of their skin touching. She took Maura's breasts in her hands and rubbed her thumbs over the already stiffening nipples, making Maura moan and grind down into her again. Eventually she pushed Maura's hips up to slide the yoga pants she was wearing down and off to reveal, unsurprisingly, a pair of matching satin knickers. Satin knickers that Jane could see were soaked with arousal. Jane shimmied out of her own shorts and Maura raised an eyebrow when she saw that the detective wasn't wearing any pants.

"Were you anticipating this tonight, Jane?" she purred and leaned in to steal another kiss. Jane smiled against her lips.

"Oh, I regularly wear no underwear at your house Maur." she growled and squeezed Maura's ass.

Jane reached down and skimmed the skin above the line of Maura's underwear and watched her roll her head back at the touch. She smiled and moved to flutter her fingers over Maura's inner thighs and felt the muscles jump at the touch. Jane wanted so badly to take either side of the delicate silk panties and physically rip them off Maura but she knew the consequences would definitely not be worth it. Instead she gently slipped them down Maura's toned legs and yet another item of clothing joined their pile.

Maura leaned down over Jane and brushed their breasts together. She shifted her position and straddled one of Jane's thighs, grinding her centre down on the tight muscle.

"God, you're so wet." Jane whispered.

Maura's hands ghosted over Jane's nipples before she moved down and took one in her mouth. Circling her tongue over it as it hardened, Maura smiled as Jane's breathing became more ragged and she rolled her hips against Maura's thigh between her legs. Maura continued to tease Jane's nipples until her chest was heaving and she could feel the detective's slick arousal on her thigh. Lifting herself off Jane slightly, Maura began to trace her fingers down her tight abs before teasing her at her hip bones and the tops of her thighs. Jane whimpered and bucked her hips upwards toward Maura's touch, desperate for her lover to touch her where she needed it the most.

"Please, God... Touch me..." Jane panted before she pressed her forehead against Maura's and held her gaze. Her brown eyes were almost black with lust and Maura licked her lips before gently pressing her finger against Jane's centre. Jane let her head fall back against the pillows and she moaned at the touch. Maura continues to stroke through Jane's arousal before moving to her clit. Slowly at first, she circled the hardened bundle of nerves and guaged Jane's reaction. When the response was more hip rolling and gentle moans of pleasure, Maura quickened her pace. Flicking and rubbing at Jane's clit with her fingers, she leaned forward and asked,

"Can I fuck you, Detective?" Maura asked in a low, sexy voice. Jane could only nod. As Maura pushed two fingers inside her, Jane gasped out,

"Oh god! Yes right there Maur.."

Maura used her thumb to circle Jane's clit and thrust her fingers in and out as Jane matched her pace with her hips. The blonde curled her fingers and hit the sweet spot, causing Jane's hips to buck up off the bed and her walls to tighten around Maura. Her panting breaths and moans of pleasure told the Doctor she was getting close to the edge and Maura increased her pressure and speed on Jane's clit. The detective reached up and tangled her fingers into Maura's hair, her mouth open in a silent O of extacy. She trembled as her orgasm hit her in waves while Maura worked her fingers, repeatedly curling them against her g-spot. A rush of liquid coated Maura's hand as the most intense orgasm hit Jane and she came undone completely. When she collapsed back into the pillows, Maura began to chuckle.

"What?" panted Jane.

"Jane Rizzoli, a squirter... Who knew." laughed Maura before she began to lick her fingers clean. Jane grinned in response.

"Only for you so far." purred Jane as she pulled Maura to lie on top of her.

"Mmm good. I'm glad you enjoyed it." said Maura before kissing Jane deeply. Jane moaned again at the taste of herself on Maura's tongue. She reached up and took the Doctor's breasts in her hands and began to pinch her nipples, making her gasp sharply.

"I'm already so close, Jane. Watching you come was so good."

Jane rolled Maura off her own body and lay alongside her, taking a moment to watch her chest rise and fall. Letting her eyes take in every inch of Maura's beauty, she raised her hand and began to trace circles on Maura's stomach before leaning over and kissing her deeply. Maura moaned and reached to take Jane's hand and move it lower. Feeling the tiny hesitation, Maura pulled back and looked into Jane's eyes.

"I've... I've never done this before..." Jane whispered.

"But you've pleasured yourself?" Maura asked. Jane nodded and bit her lip. "I trust you. Do what you like to do to yourself to me. I'm already so close Jane, it won't take much."

Jane kissed her again and Maura continued to guide Jane's hand to where she needed her the most. Jane gasped at the feeling of Maura's wet folds, she thought she might be scared and pull away but to her surprise, it felt like the most natural thing in the world and she pulled her body even closer to Maura's side, trying to feel as close as possible.

Slowly she stroked Maura, working between circling her clit and teasing her entrance. She paused and looked at Maura. The blonde opened her eyes to frown, only to find a mischievous grin on Jane's face and a wicked sparkle in her eyes. Jane leaned in close and said in a low raspy voice,

"You know what I like more than touching myself?" she asked. Maura frowned and shook her head. "When someone goes down on me."

Maura's eyes widened as Jane sat up and moved down the bed to position herself between the Doctor's legs.

"Are you sure?!" Maura asked, the pleasant shock evident in her voice. Jane only nodded and smiled again as she lifted Maura's legs over her shoulders and lowered her head. Jane moaned as she took in the scent of Maura. She had never smelled anything quite like it yet she knew more than anything, she wanted to taste her and make her feel so good. She ran her tongue up through the Doctor's centre and circled her clit with her tongue. Maura's hips bucked into Jane's face in response and she grazed the tight nub with her teeth. Maura cried out in pleasure. Jane tried her tactic again and smiled into Maura when she got the same reaction. Tentatively, Jane began to circle Maura's entrance with her fingers while she continued to suck on her clit.

"Yes..." Maura groaned as Jane began to slide two fingers inside her. Maura's hips rolled against Jane's face, increasing the friction against her clit and matching the rhythm of Jane's fingers. "Just use your tongue." Maura panted.

Jane withdrew her fingers and placed her hands on the outside of Maura's thighs. Using her tongue, she circled Maura's clit once more before pushing it into her entrance. Maura gasped in response and her hips bucked again. Using her nose to keep the pressure on Maura's clit, Jane began to lick Maura completely between dipping inside her with her tongue. The Blonde's breaths become shorter and Jane sped to keep in time with the rolling of Maura's hips. Hands wound into her unruly curls and tugged slightly. Jane's tongue worked between Maura's clit and entrance until she became rigid and her thighs tensed around Jane's ears. Her heels dug into the detectives back and her hands tightened in her hair as she came with a loud,

"OH FUCK, JANE!!"

Jane continued to lick gently as Maura shivered with aftershocks from the intensity of her orgasm until she finally relaxed into the pillows and sighed contentedly.

"Where on earth did you learn to do that?" she panted. Jane shrugged.

" 's just what I like." she responded nonchalantly as she moved back up the bed to lie beside Maura. Draping her arm over the ME's stomach and propping herself up on one elbow, she looked at Maura again before kissing her and eliciting a moan from the doctor at the taste of herself. They relaxed into each others arm and Jane smiled at the smell of Maura, sex and sweat. Maura sighed sweetly and kissed her neck.

"You'll have to give me a minute if you want round two." she muttered into the olive skin with a smile. Jane kissed the top of her head,

"Oh I want round two, three and possibly even four in the morning."


	10. Chapter 10

Once again, Jane found herself seated at the breakfast bar in Maura's kitchen with her hands curled around a mug of coffee. Tendrils of steam snaked upward and she watched them dance with a blank mind. She was snapped from her trance by a gentle kiss to her temple.

Maura.

When their eyes met, Jane's were filled with concern and confusion which was quickly mirrored in Maura's own gaze. Seeing Jane look at her with such uncertainty stung Maura.

"What's wrong? Are you OK?" She asked in a slightly clipped tone.

"What did we do, Maur?" Jane whispered and looked back at her coffee cup. "We risked it all."

"I thought you wanted it." replied Maura in a similar whisper. She sat beside Jane and reached out for her hand before changing her mind and retracting her arm. "You seemed so sure and it was so good."

"I did! I do!" Jane said earnestly. This time she took Maura's hands in her own, warmed by her coffee. "Last night was incredible. I've never, ever had sex like it and I want to do it again right now. But, God I'm so scared, Maur."

A silent tear slipped down over Maura's cheek. She had been so certain that they had finally breached the boundary that was holding them apart and yet here was Jane, in true Jane fashion, trying to run from something that she couldn't figure out. Maura wasn't going to let her. Not this time.

"Tell me why you're scared." Maura asked, looking down at their entwined fingers and brushing her thumbs over Jane's scars.

"What if we can't go back? What if it doesn't work out and I lose you forever? I'm scared of losing you, Maur, I can't live without you. I won't live without you."

"Why do you think it won't work?" there was a quizzical look in Maura's eyes as she spoke.

"No that's not what I mean. I want it to work, I've wanted this for longer than I can remember but those what ifs have kept me awake all night."

Maura leaned close and kissed Jane gently. Their lips danced together in a delicate ballet before Maura traced her tongue along Jane's lower lip, asking for permission to enter. Jane opened her mouth and deepened the kiss while she pulled closer to Maura and wrapped her hands around the curve of the Doctor's waist. Tears streaked Maura's face and dampened Jane's cheeks. When they stopped for air, Maura reached up and wiped her own tears from Jane's skin.

"I won't go anywhere, Jane. Let me prove it to you. Please don't run." she begged, looking up into Jane's dark eyes.

"Can I have a little time to process?" asked Jane.

Maura nodded wordlessly in response, but concerned was knotted on her brow. She didn't think it was a good idea for Jane to wallow in her own worries but she knew Jane and the harder she pushed, the further the Detective would run.

* * *

Two days had passed and Maura had barely seen Jane. Tidying her office after finishing her work, she decided she wouldn't go home that evening, instead she would go to Jane's apartment try to make her see reason once again.

The nights were still long and drew in early and it was pitch dark as Maura drove to Jane's apartment, thoughts clouding her brain. She had no idea what to say to her, ultimately she just wanted to know that she was OK. She smiled at the thought of sitting beside Jane on her comfy old couch with a bottle of wine and furtive glances. The kind of glances she had been sneaking for years, only now she did know what Jane looked like in her bed and it was no longer left to her imagination. Unconsciously, she rubbed her calves together to check that her legs were smooth should they make up and end up in the same situation they had been a few nights before.

Jane didn't answer when Maura knocked and so she selected the key to the apartment from her keyring and let herself in, calling as she crossed the threshold. She saw Jane's unruly dark curls poking out from beneath a blanket on the couch and she made her way over to join her friend quietly. Maura slid herself on to the couch and picked up Jane's legs, settling beneath them and resting a hand on the blanket they were wrapped in. Soft murmurs escaped from beneath the fluffy cover when Jane grumbled in her sleep at the disturbance. Maura sat silently and rubbed absent minded patterns on Jane's shins while she zoned out and thought about how to broach the subject that was eating away at her insides.

An hour passed without Maura realising and she had begun to doze against the back of the couch when she felt Jane shift and sit upright. A gentle kiss on her head made her open her eyes to see a sleepy, dishevelled Jane smiling at her gently.

"Hey" came her low, raspy greeting. "How long have you been here?"

"I'm not sure, but I missed you." Replied Maura and she pressed her forehead against Jane's.

"I'm sorry."

"You should be. Running away doesn't help anyone, Jane. We have to talk this through. You need to tell me what you want. Saying you're scared is fine, and I get it, but if you hide from it you only push me away. Please stop pushing me away." Maura said with a sigh. Jane kissed her gently.

"I want to try, Maur. I really, really want to try." She said as she sat up. A smile illuminated Maura's face and she almost leapt into Jane's lap. Chuckling deeply, Jane supported the Doctor's hips as she sat astride her.

"Let me date you, let me love you." Maura asked between small chaste kisses. "Let me prove to you that we are perfect for each other."

"I already know you're perfect for me, I've gotta prove I'm good enough for you, Dr Isles." Jane laughed.

The rest of their evening passed with the two women curled together on Jane's couch, exchanging sweet kisses and tracing shapes on each other's skin.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I'm sorry for the delay on this my loves!!! I promise I haven't forgotten about it but work is always busy at the start of a New Year. This one will be winding up soon but don't worry, the epilogue is already written. Mwah!

* * *

"Maura!!" Jane yelled up the staircase "We're gonna be late!"

Maura didn't respond, but Jane could hear her heaving luggage down from the master bedroom. Their trip to the spa had been planned by Maura as a way to get a weekend away with Jane, only she hadn't expected they would pick so many things to do that would require changes of outfits.

"Jane, could you help me?" the blonde called down when she finally admitted defeat to herself.

Closing the trunk and moving around to the driver's door, Jane slipped in to the car and smiled over at Maura.

"I'm going to need that first massage after carrying your bags, Maur." Jane teased. Maura pouted in response.

Their room at the Beauport Hotel was lavishly furnished with greys and yellows. A four poster king sized bed dominated the centre of the room and Jane chuckled at the thought of Maura writhing around beneath her on the satin bedspread. When Maura reappeared from the marbled bathroom after depositing their toiletries, Jane pulled her close and held her hips. Wordlessly, Maura reached up and pushed a loose curl off Jane's cheek and behind her ear.

They closed the space between them and captured each other in a heated kiss. Jane threaded her hands into Maura's hair and the ME reached around to grab Jane's ass and pulled their hips as close as possible. When they finally broke for air, Jane spoke in her usual husky tone,

"We'll miss our massages Maura, let's go."

Turning to the door, Maura took Jane's hand and lead her toward the door to head to the treatment rooms.

Seeing Jane wrapped in a towel with her unruly locks piled up on top of her head sent a fire through Maura, yet she hid it well. They exchanged small snippets of conversation as their masseurs worked tension from their backs and shoulders. Jane smiled at the feeling of normality that came with chit chat and spa treatments with Maura.

"What is it, Jane?"

"This. It's nice."

Maura hummed through a smile as she contemplated that her plan was indeed beginning to work.

Later that evening, having dined on steaks and wine, Jane and Maura retreated to their luxury room and settled on to the bed. Lay on their sides facing each other, Maura traced her fingers softly up and down Jane's thigh until they drifted into quiet sleep in each others arms.

* * *

The sound of Jane's phone ringing pierced the silence of Maura's bedroom and the Blonde stirred in bed. The heavy warmth of Jane beside her in bed drew a soft sigh from the ME and she rolled over to wrap her arms around Jane's waist and buried her head between strong shoulder blades and inhaled deeply. A few seconds passed before Maura's own phone joined in ringing and Jane grumbled into her pillow.

"Urgh, murder calls. Rizzoli"

"Isles"

* * *

The alley was inhabited by multiple homeless people who had made camps with their belongings and the victim was at the end behind a dumpster. Patent black pumps and pale legs were visible from the street.

"How have you two arrived together at 5. 30am on a Saturday call out?" Frankie asked before realization crept over his features. Jane stared him dead in the face, expressionless, and shrugged. The hardness of his sister's features followed by her hand on the base of Maura's back told him all he needed to know and he smiled to himself. _Finally_.

While Jane paused to watch Maura sashay up the alleyway to begin her assessment, Frankie squeezed Jane's shoulder.

"I'm happy for you, Janie." he said softly. She leaned in and bumped her shoulder against his before striding after Maura toward the victim.

Maura crouched on her heels, inspecting the body with gloved hands. The victim was a small blonde who didn't look unlike Maura and Jane felt nauseated for a second before she dissociated and donned her case face.

"Caucasian female, approximate age 25-30 years old. Blunt force trauma to the head and lacerations to the torso. Time of death approximately 6 hours ago." Maura said in a steady voice.

Jane strode around taking stock of the scene, mentally logging things and directing the CSRU techs to photograph certain areas. Her Brow was furrowed in thought when Korsak appeared by her side.

"I'm gonna see if Rondo knows any of the girls in this area," she mused aloud "He's helped before."

In the corner, Jane registered the sound of Maura snapping her medical bag closed and instructing the techs that they could move the body and that she'd meet them at the morgue. The detectdetective fell into step behind the Doctor and they silently got into the car and headed to the precinct.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N**: Fluff fluff fluff!

* * *

Angela watched Jane and Maura sitting opposite each other in the Division One Café the same as they often did. Their case was another arduous one and they took their breaks together to find a little respite and regain their focus. She finished serving her customer and glanced back over to the pair and her eyebrows rose when she saw Jane take Maura's hand, lace their fingers together and lean forward to whisper something in the Doctor's ear. Whatever Jane said had made Maura blush furiously and laugh with an impish sparkle in her eyes. Angela headed toward them and noticed again that even when Jane saw her coming, she didn't drop Maura's hand and instead brushed her thumb over Maura's knuckles.

"Hey Ma," Jane greeter her mother with a coy smile. It had been 3 weeks since she had taken Maura to bed for the first time. 3 weeks of discovery, sex and a feeling of safety that Jane had never felt with a partner before. It had also been 3 weeks and another 3 dead women with no real leads and little forensic evidence. The force was tired and stretched once again and Jane sought Maura out for solace.

"You girls look tired." Angela said, matter of factly. She glanced down at their still clasped hands and made a point of stating at them for a moment before slowly meeting Jane's gaze. They looked at each other for a moment before Jane squeezed Maura's hand again and spoke.

" Ma, Maura and I have something to tell you." she said in a quiet, sure tone of voice. Maura inhaled sharply when she realised what Jane was about to say. "We're together. A couple. We have been for a few weeks now and we hope you can be happy for us."

Angela's expression didn't change for a second as she took in what her daughter had told her and suddenly she broke into a hundred kilowatt smile. Scooping them both into a bone crushing hug, Angela kissed the tops of their heads.

"Ma!! Stop!" Jane complained as she wriggled from her mother's grasp.

"Finally!" Angela exclaimed when she released Maura and Jane from her grasp. Maura smiled up at her with an unspoken look of thanks in her eyes.

* * *

When 8pm came around and Jane let herself in to Maura's house, she found the Doctor curled up under a blanked on the couch snoring softly. Her blonde curls fanned out across the cushion on which she rested her head like a waterfall of spun gold. A look of pure peace on her face made Jane stop and stare. She knealt down beside her sleeping love and placed the softest kiss to her forehead. Maura stirred and cracked one eye open. She moved forward to capture Jane in a sweet kiss before lifting her blanket to invite her girlfriend to join her. She smiled at her thought.

"Whadda ya smiling at?" Jane asked with half a smile of her own as she slipped under the blanket to be Maura's little spoon.

"In my head I thought of you as my girlfriend and it made me smile. Jane, will you be my girlfriend?" she asked in a small voice.

Jane chuckled and rolled on to her back to look at Maura. "Yes Maura, I will be your girlfriend." she said and Maura wrapped herself around Jane's body with a happy squeak. Nestling her head into the crook of Jane's neck, Maura's breathing slowed again as she drifted back off to sleep wrapped in Jane's strong arms.

* * *

Saturday night found the Boston Homicide squad in a booth at The Dirty Robber, empty plates and bottles covered the table in front of the team and chit chat flowed as they distracted themselves from their case. No new bodies had turned up but the trail was growing colder by the day and the detectives were worn out.

As usual, Jane and Maura sat beside each other and a sizzle of electricity ran along Maura's leg where Jane's outer thigh touched her own. Their colleagues bantered between each other and peanuts were being flicked across the table. Maura leaned in to Jane and whispered,

"You know, we should probably tell them before your mother does."

Jane turned to her and smiled with a little nod and an Mhmm sound. Maura squeezed her arm and returned the smile, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. She expected Jane to whistle the others to quieten them, or yell for them to shut up so that she could speak but she didn't expect her to do what she did.

"Hey! Hey! Will you lot knock it off?" Jane shouted and shoved Korsak with her shoulder. The table went quiet.

"What? What's wrong with you? You want another beer, lazy ass?" Frankie asked. Jane gave him a wicked grin before she turned to Maura.

"So, _babe_ you wanted to tell them?" Jane asked the Doctor in a mischievous voice. Maura's eyes grew wide with anticipation for just how Jane was going to come out to their colleagues. Before she could say anything more, Jane took Maura's face in her hands and kissed her. It was explosive. Maura felt her stomach flip with the gravity of what Jane was doing. The bar around them disappeared and the only thing she was aware of were her own hands reaching up to tangle into the unruly curls of her love and the bruising kiss on her lips. She nipped at Jane's bottom lip and Jane opened her mouth in response, letting Maura's tongue slip in to dance with her own.

Reality came crashing back around them when Frankie yelled,

"Get a room!!" and the rest of the team began to whoop and clap in celebration of Jane and Maura's slightly unconventional coming out. Jane slipped her arm around Maura's waist and turned to face their friends.

"So, yeah... Surprise." Jane chuckled huskily. Maura's chest was flushed as she beamed toward the others.

"Congratulations, I'm so happy for you both." Korsak said and reached around to hug Jane tightly. "You deserve to be happy, Janie" he whispered in her ear. Jane returned the tight embrace before she sat back and draped her arm over Maura's shoulders.

She sighed contentedly at the feeling of weightlessness and contentment. Maura was snuggled in to her side, her friends and family were happy and supportive. Jane smiled to herself and took a pull on her beer.


End file.
